Editorial | Getting math done

Some Jefferson County elementary students will experience a new way to learn math starting today when they return to school.

It's encouraging to find the teachers and 13 elementary schools willing to venture into new territory as the entire school system and the state seek ways to effectively implement the new Common Core Standards.

Kentucky was the first of 46 states to adopt Common Core, a state-led initiative to develop more rigorous educational standards meant to better prepare students for college and careers. Upgrading mathematics education is an important part of the new standards school systems use to design curricula.

Now Jefferson County is hoping the new approach will help give students a better understanding of math concepts than relying on rote memorization often used in math instruction. Called Math in Focus: The Singapore Approach, it is modeled after a curriculum that has made the Southeast Asian island nation a world leader in math education.

Some Jefferson County educators told The Courier-Journal's Antoinette Konz in a story Sunday that they are ready for a new approach.

"Our old math program just wasn't getting it done," said Tim Hagan, principal of Hite Elementary, one of the schools offering the program.

Jefferson County Public Schools deserves credit for giving schools flexibility to adopt new educational programs.

And critics of Common Core should take heart. While some critics have wrongly attacked Common Core as a "federal takeover" and a "one-size-fits-all" mandate, the Jefferson County math project clearly shows it's a ground-up effort, coming from individual schools willing to try innovation.

Supporters say they like the Singapore method because it recognizes students learn differently and is meant to help them understand math though solving problems and using hands-on activities with beads, blocks, cards and puzzles.

And what could be bad about making math fun?

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Editorial | Getting math done

Some Jefferson County elementary students will experience a new way to learn math starting today when they return to school.